Artists
London Geodiversity Partnership has had a long term role in collaborating with artists who are interested in working with the geology of London and using geological concepts within their practice.
We have collaborated with the following artists:
Gail Dickerson approached the London Geodiversity Partnership because she wanted to find out more about the geology of Elephant & Castle where her studio is located. In particular, she wanted information about the small area known as the ‘Rockingham Anomaly’. LGP were delighted to work with Gail on this project as the London Borough of Southwark had suggested that we assess the Rockingham Anomaly as a potential Locally Interesting Geological Site (LIGS). Gail grinds up rocks to use as pigments for her artworks and she was keen to obtain the peat found beneath the housing estate in this area. She contacted LB Southwark for their permission to auger and we went with her and some local friends and proceeded to auger in a patch of the gardens. The result was successful: Gail obtained peat for her artworks and we were able to get an analysis of the peat and write a report. Gail regularly attends geotrails, recces and conservation days and collects samples for her artworks. In 2018 she mounted a display of her work in the Newington Gallery, Elephant & Castle and invited LGP to add a small exhibit about the local geology to accompany it. Gail also became involved with the Thames Tideway project, initially by visiting the nearby Chambers Wharf site where she was given samples and later, with the geologist on the project, Tim Newman who was able to supply her with core samples from closer to where she lives, near Wandsworth. This prompted a second exhibition of her artworks, this time using pigments from the Thames Tideway rocks. Tim helped her display rocks from the core on the floor of the exhibition which was held in the Climate Hub in the shopping precinct. Again, she invited LGP to mount a display, this time related to Geology and Climate.
Excavate – Excavation of London’s Strata
Visit Gail Dickerson’s website
Kathryn Maguire
Kathryn Maguire was involved with the London Geodiversity Partnership from January through to July 2023 while on a residency as artist working alongside the English Department in King’s College, London. She contacted to LGP via the Angela Marmont Centre. Her aim for the project was to explore six materials; Silt, clay, mud, brick, copperas, and fossils in the riverine and estuarine areas of the Thames and other places. With this in mind she came out with members of the LGP to visit London Clay exposures on the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary and upriver at Isleworth during a low tide. She brought the students to the Angela Marmont Centre to view rock samples and fossils from the Thames area, both from the LGP and Angela Marmont Centre collections. At the end of the residency she ran a small conference and invited Gail Dickerson and Jeffrey Miller to speak about their projects. She returned to Ireland at the end of her residency.
Visit Kathryn Maguire’s website
Dee McLean
Dee McLean attended an London Geodiversity Partnership geotrail on Hampstead Heath for Heath Hands, of which she is a member. She asked for geological advice for the book she was writing and illustrating about Hampstead Heath. It Started On Hampstead Heath…, published in 2018. The book discusses climate change, particularly in relation to the Ponds Project. The LGP has since advised on geological aspects relating to other projects.
In 2019 LGP became involved with the Redington Frognal Association who were planning to reinstate the Branch Hill Pond on Hampstead Heath, painted frequently by Constable. To communicate with local people they planned an Exhibition for early 2022 and LGP worked with Dee to create 13 panels. The exhibition was a great success and the pond was reinstated in August that year.
Dee is a member of the Geologists’ Association and continues her interest in geology by attending lectures and conferences and going on field trips.
Dee has designed information boards and created illustrations to accompany our geotrails and geosites.
The Geology of Hampstead Heath
Branch Hill Pond and the Westbourne
Jeffrey Stephen Miller
Jeffrey came to London Geodiversity Partnership via the Angela Marmont Centre as he was looking to acquire London Clay extracted from the London Underground tunnels for in order to repurpose it by creating tiles glazed by iron oxide-rich dust formed by train wheels grinding against steel tracks. In the end it was the clay from the Thames Tideway Tunnel that was repurposed. Jeffrey worked with Maja Quille and Gail Dickerson to collect the cores from a warehouse in Oxford that Tideway geologist Tim Newman was happy to give them. Jeffrey has subsequently recreated tiles in typical Underground designs and hopes to be able to use them in one of the stations. Tfl have been very co-operative and offered him bags of the dust as well as the use of their tile manufacturers. His From the Underground project won the 2023 Maison/0 Green Trail Award.
Video: London Clay on the Isle of Sheppey
Video: Hoovering the Underground
Visit Jeffrey Stephen Miller’s website
Maja Quille
Maja Quille came to the London Geodiversity Partnership via the Angela Marmont Centre in the Natural History Museum (NHM) hoping to learn more about London Clay. She had obtained a quantity of it from MOLA’s work at a site in Southwark and been given a grant by Arts Council England (ACE) to experiment with it for artworks. Maja proceeded to undertake a huge amount of research about the London Clay, experimenting with firing temperatures and different glazes. Recently she has used it in community projects and has begun collaborating with a ceramicist and geoarchaeologists to explore geology on archaeological excavations. She was offered clay cores from St. James’, used for teaching engineers, which was no longer required by NHM and LGP were able to facilitate Maya in her sampling of the clay. She is currently working with the clay and has been sharing it with other artists and students.